10-year-old girl's horror weekend at hands of step-dad

THE actions of one man on one weekend have destroyed a family and the lives of a 10-year-old girl and her mother.

The girl's 41-year-old stepfather was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court yesterday on seven counts of indecent treatment of a child after a four-day trial where a jury found him not guilty of two counts of rape.

The man had been in a relationship with the girl's mother for 10 years, living with the family for nine, when he carried out the acts which were "an extraordinary abuse of his position" and a "significant breach of trust".

Crown prosecutor Will Slack said the seven charges arose from two incidents on the same weekend in January 2018 at the family home in Rockhampton.

He said the defendant first masturbated in front of the child, then forced her to watch a pornographic video on his mobile phone, then rubbed her vagina through her clothes before rubbing it skin-on-skin.

Mr Slack said the defendant then rubbed his penis against the girl's vagina and anus.

He said the second incident took place in the shower.

The court heard the defendant licked the child's vagina before rubbing it and her bottom.

Mr Slack said these actions by the defendant were "a significant breach of trust" towards someone in the defendant's care and an "extraordinary abuse of his position".

Judge Michael Burnett said the defendant was the only father the child had ever known.

The court heard the child told school authorities about the abuse shortly after it took place with police immediately involved.

"There doesn't appear to be a rational explanation..... you yourself don't understand why you were attracted to this girl," Judge Burnett said.

He ordered the man to a three-year prison term, suspended after the 387 days he had spent in presentence custody, operational for four years.

The man was also sentenced to an 18-month probation order.

Judge Burnett said the impact statements showed the victim and mother were "devastated" by the offending.